Department for Transport

Draft Regulations: The Road Vehicles (Authorised Weight) (Amendment) Regulations 2023

Mr Richard Holden: I have today published the draft statutory instrument “The Road Vehicles (Authorised Weight) (Amendment) Regulations 2023” with an accompanying explanatory memorandum. A de minimis assessment has been drafted and will be available when a draft of the statutory instrument is laid.The use of zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) and alternatively fuelled vehicles (AFVs) can contribute to transport decarbonisation, as well as reduce emissions of air quality related pollutants. Currently, alternatively fuelled and zero emission heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) may have heavier powertrain technology than traditionally fuelled internal combustion engine (ICE) HGVs. There are particular components in AFVs or ZEVs which are likely to be heavier than their equivalents in an ICE vehicle, most notably batteries, which are significantly heavier than a petrol or diesel fuel tank providing an equivalent vehicle range. Fuel tanks for pressurised gaseous fuels such as biomethane or hydrogen are also likely to be heavier than ICE equivalents, due to the need to reinforce these to cope with high pressure.All vehicles are subject to a gross vehicle weight limit, which varies depending on the axle configuration. Current weight allowances are set out within the Road Vehicles (Authorised Weight) Regulations 1998 (S.I. 1998/3111) and the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 (S.I. 1986/1078). Due to current maximum weight limit restrictions, the heavier powertrain means AFVs and ZEVs can carry a decreased cargo weight than comparable ICE vehicles. This acts as a payload penalty, potentially decreasing their commercial appeal.The statutory instrument provides for a weight limit increase of a flat two tonnes for certain ZEVs and up to one tonne for certain AFVs. The relevant ZEVs and AFVs are mainly types of HGV. No additional weight allowance for ZEVs or AFVs will apply over the existing maximum of 44 tonnes. The maximum weight limits for individual axles will remain unchanged. This slightly different approach for ZEVs compared to AFVs is to provide the maximum possible incentive for ZEVs to be adopted.The statutory instrument is published in accordance with the procedure required by Schedule 8 to the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 and agreed with Parliament. The statutory instrument is being published in draft at least 28 days before being laid in draft to be considered under affirmative procedures in parliament.The Department consulted on these proposals between July and September 2021 as part of a wider consultation on phase out dates for new non zero emission HGVs “Heavy goods vehicles: ending the sale of new non-zero emission models.” A response which confirmed our intention to introduce these changes was published 12 May 2022.

Home Office

Strengthening the Control of Explosives Precursors and Poisons

Tom Tugendhat: Today I am laying before both Houses a statutory instrument to strengthen the controls of explosives precursors and poisons in Great Britain. Following the tragic Manchester Arena attack in 2017, the Government committed to enhance its capabilities to detect and prevent terrorist activity including that which involves the use of explosive precursors. The Control of Explosives Precursors and Poisons Regulations 2023 will build on existing safeguards in the Poisons Act 1972 to prevent terrorist access to substances of concern, while ensuring that legitimate users of these products can still access them to pursue lawful activity. This regulation follows a public consultation which ran between December 2021-March 2022. Around Great Britain, businesses and individuals use various chemicals for a wide range of legitimate use. Whilst we do not want to hinder this, we must minimise the risk posed by the illicit use of explosives precursors and poisons. Shops and business are already required to report suspicious activity on the sale, attempted sale, loss or theft of the most dangerous explosive precursors and poisons. Through this legislation, we are adding to the lists of reportable and regulated explosives precursors and poisons, improving the requirements for reporting suspicious activity, as well as providing additional obligations on online marketplaces. Businesses will also be required to record certain information when selling regulated explosives precursors to professional users. This will have minimal impact on businesses already required to report those chemicals and poisons liable to cause harm. The measures will come into force on 1 October 2023. Guidance on these measures will be available on gov.uk in due course ahead of the regulations commencing on 1 October. A full Impact Assessment and Explanatory Memorandum will also be laid alongside the regulations in both Houses.

Department of Health and Social Care

Mental Health Update

Maria Caulfield: I am pleased to share an update on the Government’s £150 million of capital investment in NHS mental health urgent and emergency care infrastructure, first announced as part of the 2021 Spending Review. This investment – being delivered through NHS England – will support people experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, mental health crisis to receive care and support in more appropriate settings outside of A&E and inpatient facilities, in turn improving experience and alleviating pressures on local urgent care pathways and in the wider system.£7 million of the investment is specifically being used to centrally procure up to 100 specially designed mental health ambulances over the next two years. These vehicles will be staffed by both physical and mental health professionals, equipped to respond to and assess people on-scene or take people to the most appropriate place for care, reducing the amount of people who are taken to A&E by ambulance services. The vehicles, designed by patients and clinical experts, will provide a much calmer environment than the traditional fully kitted, bright yellow ambulances. They have been designed with simple NHS ambulance service logos and will have a less clinical interior with dimmable lighting, equipment to play music and space for parents, carers or companions to accompany during assessments and transfers.The remaining £143 million of capital funding is being invested in providing and improving a range of spaces to more appropriately support people experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, mental health crisis. This includes the redesign and refurbishment of existing mental health suites and facilities including in emergency departments, the provision of spaces outside of A&E and the expansion of crisis lines. The programme also includes schemes designed to avoid people reaching crisis, such as improvement of sanctuary spaces and community mental health facilities.This is alongside investment of almost £1 billion extra in community mental health care for adults with severe mental illness by 2023/24. This will give 370,000 adults and older adults with severe mental illnesses, including eating disorders, greater choice and control over their care and support them to live well in their communities.Today, I am also announcing the commencement of a rapid review into patient safety in mental health inpatient settings in England. This review is an essential first step in improving safety in mental health inpatient settings. It will focus on what data and evidence is currently available to healthcare services, including information provided by patients and families, and how we can use this data and evidence more effectively to identify patient safety risks and failures in care. I am immensely pleased to announce that the review will be chaired by Dr Geraldine Strathdee. Dr Strathdee brings a wealth of experience from working for over 20 years in senior roles in mental health policy, regulation and clinical management, at national and regional levels.Dr Strathdee will remain the Chair of the Essex Mental Health Independent Inquiry, which is looking at inpatient mental health deaths in Essex between 2000 and 2020 and which will continue its work during the period of the rapid review. The rapid review will be separate from, but complementary to, the Essex Inquiry, and we are excited that she brings her significant expertise from all her work on mental health so far. Dr Strathdee also has a longstanding passion for using data to improve services.NHS England has also established a three-year Quality Improvement programme which seeks to tackle the root causes of unsafe, poor-quality inpatient care in mental health, learning disability and autism settings. My officials will continue to work closely with their colleagues in NHS England to make sure the review is aligned with and complementary to the Quality Improvement programme.

Mental Health: Expectation of Mental Health Spend

Steve Barclay: Last year, the Health and Care Act 2022 received Royal Assent, enacting the most significant health legislation for a decade into law. The Act introduced a statutory requirement for the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to set out expectations for the year ahead on NHS mental health services spending. This is to ensure better transparency as part of the Government’s commitment to parity of esteem, ensuring that patients are able to access services which treat both mental and physical health conditions equally and to the same standard.This requirement supports the Government’s existing commitments to increase spending on mental health services in real terms by at least £2.3 billion a year by 2023/24, and to uphold the Mental Health Investment Standard which requires that Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) spending on mental health grows at least in line with growth in overall recurrent funding allocations.Today I lay before Parliament the first annual statement in fulfilment of this commitment.In this statement I will set out the Government’s expectation for mental health spending by NHS England and ICBs in aggregate in the 2023/24 financial year. Specifically, I will set out whether the Government expects there to be an increase in expenditure by comparison with the previous financial year (2022/23) in relation to mental health, both in amount and proportion. It should be noted that, owing to the statutory requirement to lay this statement before Parliament ahead of the new financial year, the figures contained within this first annual statement will, in part, be based on projections.In financial year 2023/24, the Government expects mental health spending to continue to increase as a proportion of the total recurrent expenditure incurred by NHS England and ICBs in aggregate. In financial year 2022/23, mental health spending made up 8.90% of all recurrent NHS spending. In the coming financial year, we expect this to grow by 0.02 percentage points and account for 8.92% of total recurrent spend as shown below. 2022/232023/24Recurrent NHS baseline (£bn)142.4153.0Total forecast Mental Health spend (£bn)12.713.6Mental Health share of recurrent baseline 8.90%8.92%  This includes, at aggregate ICB level, baseline spend within scope of the Mental Health Investment Standard which covers all spending on mental health from an ICB’s core allocations, and at NHS England level, service development fund spending and specialised commissioning spending on mental health. These encouraging projections demonstrate the Government’s continuing commitment to expanding and transforming mental health services across England and to delivering sustained investment in this area across the country, and our ongoing commitment to parity of esteem for mental health.